Chapter 20 - Dawson
“Alpha Dawson!”
The urgency in that familiar voice sounds like a desperate cry for help, and I immediately stop in my tracks, placing a protective hand out in front of Gio as I step forward.
That’s when I see Yvonne, where we left her on the picnic blanket, surrounded by a group of males who snarl and sneer at her.
“Stay back, Gio,” I order my son, turning to him and grabbing his tiny shoulders. “Go hide behind that bush,” I say as I point to the fern bush on the side. “Your mama needs help.”
Gio immediately nods, his eyes becoming wide with worry, but he says nothing as he quietly heeds my instruction. Because he’s my son, he knows not to question an alpha’s orders, especially when it comes from his father.
Once I’m sure Gio is safely hidden, I turn back to Yvonne, marching forward with a furious growl rumbling deep within my chest.
“Step away from her!” I roar as I push the closest male out of the way, offering a hand to Yvonne. She takes it and rises to her feet to stand beside me as I scan the new faces of the males who reek of a smell that gives their kind away.
Rogue werewolves, but not just any misfits—they’re from the Moonshine Pack. Yvonne warns me of this with a whisper.
The one that stands out with bulky muscles and a buzz cut fit for the military steps forward.
“Don’t interrupt us,” he warns with a snarl that reveals his yellowing teeth. “The omega is guilty of killing two of our pack members. Our betas.”
I lift my chin and glower at him through narrowed eyes. “Ah, so you’re the Alpha of Moonshine, huh? Then you must know that you’re near Snehvolk territory, and Omega Yvonne Lang is a member of our pack. There will be grave consequences if you touch her.”
The alpha takes a step forward, and I immediately step in front of Yvonne, placing a hand on hers protectively.
“She committed a crime. Who are you to stop us from punishing her?”
I’m about to snap back at the alpha when I notice his eyes flitting to one of the werewolves on my left.
Before I can react, cold metal spikes are pressed to my neck and spark with electricity that burns my skin, sending bolts of lightning through me that have me keeling over with the intensity of the pain.
A trembling hand lifts to my neck when I’m on the ground, and I realize that I’ve been electrocuted by some powerful homemade device that one of the men holds in front of my face to threaten me.
“Make another move, and you’ll lose your eyes, mutt!” the alpha threatens, and through the pain and my blurring vision, I look up to find Yvonne staring at me with fear-stricken eyes.
Her frightened expression spurs me into action as I push through the paralyzing pain and invoke my inner wolf.
Provoked by the situation we’re faced with, it spreads out bold, golden fur all across my forearms, my bones cracking as they grow larger and powerful, a howl rumbling from deep within and roaring through the muzzle of my wolf.
We’re too far from Snehvolk territory to call out for help, and because I’ve been electrocuted, I can’t seem to find the connection to the mind link I need to call out to our pack.
Once I’m in wolf form, Yvonne shifts into her agile wolf, too, but it doesn’t take long before the Moonshine Pack shapeshifts into their beasts, too.
Standing back-to-back with Yvonne, I know we’re outnumbered, but there’s a determination between the two of us to fight off these wolves, even if there are at least eight out of the ten who’ve shifted into wolf form.
I growl threateningly as I snap my teeth at the alpha’s chestnut brown wolf, but he doesn’t back down. That’s when I lunge for him, sharp claws distended to wreak havoc on the leading member of the enemy pack.
My claws are ablaze with fury as I slash them through the air, Yvonne following my lead with her tiny wolf as she growls and hisses at the group surrounding us. The torrent of my active claws finally serves a blow to the Moonshine Alpha that knocks him off his paws.
His tainted lips peel back to growl at me as he scampers upright again, and I fight through the remaining werewolves to emerge out of the chaos and prowl toward him.
Just as I’m about to leap forward, my hind legs ready to kick me off the ground and spear me toward the enemy, I hear a child’s cry for help.
“Daddy! Help me!”
I snap my furry head in the direction of Gio as he’s dragged out of his hiding place behind the bush by the werewolf still in human form.
Panic pounds in my chest, my first instinct to save my son falling short when I’m crippled by an electric current in my neck that has me shifting involuntarily into human form to face the pain.
“Gio!” I call out, reaching for him despite the distance between us, just as I’m pounded by fists and kicked in the ribs by the werewolves now in their human forms to fight me.
Hands grab me to hold me down, blocking my view of my son until I feel a surge of energy coursing through my veins.
Through the blows, I frown when I feel the strange power that fills my being, opening my eyes to witness something extraordinary through the small gap between the two men beating me up.
Yvonne towers over them where they’re crouched to pelt me with their fists, her silver eyes turning bright and luminescent as she sticks out her palms at them.
Charged bolts of silver flow from her hands and come slicing through the air to electrocute the men who have me down.
One by one, they’re shot by Yvonne’s magic powers, writhing in pain on the floor.
I watch as Yvonne’s magnificent powers flow out of her like I’ve never seen before, and she appears like a goddess surrounded by a silver aura, her power no match for the men who try charging at her.
Wow…
I’m floored by her strength, witnessing her wield her gifts for the first time, her powers unearthed because of her desperation at seeing her child being abducted.
Her strength lies in her emotions. I understand it now, but it’s still mesmerizing to watch as she turns and shocks the man who’d grabbed Gio.
Yvonne doesn’t stop until they’re all down, her silver eyes flickering with electric bolts reminiscent of the ones she wields in her palms. She’s a powerhouse of mysticism, and seeing her child in danger has activated a witch who was previously unaware of how much power she had.
It’s liberating to watch her in her element, seeing that she doesn’t need the shape or size of her wolf form to immobilize our attackers until they’re all crawling for their lives, regrouping on the snow with fearful whimpers and squeals.
They’re afraid of the witch, petrified that with just a flick of her wrist, she can knock them off their feet.
The alpha is the first to scramble away, shifting once again into wolf form and whimpering as he disappears into the thick of the forest. Before long, his entourage of low-lives follows him with trembling paws, scattering through the forest until they disappear.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I turn my head to Yvonne, who seems to be climbing down from the high of wielding her powers, her arms becoming limp as they fall to her sides just as Gio runs toward her.
“Mama!” he yelps as he watches Yvonne collapse with horror-stricken eyes.
“Gio!” I call out as I finally muster up the strength to rush toward her, catching her in my arms before she crumbles to the ground.